Reciprocating friction-type exercising device



Nov. -19, 1968 E. E. HOLKESVICK ETAL RECIPROCATING FRICTION-TYPEEXERCISING DEVICE Original Filed June 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 $674 .54Hzkeswmq, CIOHN .HZDAMLL, ,Raeawr 14 ADAMS,

INVENTORS.

BY 77/51.? Arman/53s.

,HSRQ S, Mac, Russel; fimp Nov. 19, 1968- E. E. HOLKESVICK ETAL v3,411,776

RECIPROCATING FRICTION-TYPE EXERCISING DEVICE Original Filed June 12,1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 NVENTORS.

BY THE/Q flrranxej s.

HZRR/s, Mac/4, Russeu. jdskm United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE An exercising device adapted to be suspended from a 1 supportand which includes an elongated shaft of a length to receive severalturns of rope therearound. Spaced-apart apertures guide a length of ropeonto and off of the shaft. A length of rope extends through oneaperture, at least partially around the shaft and then out through theother aperture, the length of rope having a handle at each end wherebythe rope can be moved back and forth through the device in slidingfrictional engagement with the shaft.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 116,393, filed June 12, 1961,now US. Patent No. 3,197,204 granted July 27, 1965.

The present invention relates generally to the physical conditioning artand more particularly to a novel exercising device which is especiallysuitable for home use.

Briefly stated, one embodiment of the present invention comprises a bodymember which includes an elongated cylindrical shaft having hub portionsat each end there of. Axially extending passageways are provided in thehub portions so that a length of rope can be inserted through apassageway in one hub portion, thence around the shaft, and then outthrough a passageway in the other hub portion, or, the rope can bedoubled back and returned in a similar fashion through diametricallyopposed passageways in the hub portion. In this manner the rope is insliding frictional engagement with the shaft whereby the user must exerta certain amount of force, and thereby exercise various muscles of thebody, in pulling the rope through the device. Means are provided forsupporting the device from adjacent an end or from adjacent the centerthereof so that the rope can be pulled in a continuous manner, oralternately back and forth. In one embodiment, means are also providedfor easily and quickly adjusting the number of turns of rope around theshaft by having one hub portion rotatable relative to the other hubportion.-

It is well known that there are various types of exercising devices onthe market and in use at the present time, some of which are limited togymnasium usage, while others are usable in the home. However, most ofthe better exercising devices are relatively expensive, others are quitecumbersome and noisy, some are dangerous, and many which are relativelysmall and inexpensive are not satisfactory because they are limited intheir usage and cannot be adjusted to suit the need of the Persondesiring to use them. Thus, exercising devices which employ springs andresilient members have been known to break or slip and thereby injurethe user.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a novelexercising device which is especially suitable for home use, i.e. onewhich is quiet, safe, and relatively inexpensive.

Another object is to provide such a device which can 3,411,776 PatentedNov. 19, 1968 ice be easily and quickly adjusted to meet the individualrequirements of each user.

A further object is to provide a novel exercising device which can beemployed for all types of conventional exercises, such as thoseemploying pushing, pulling, and bending.

Another object is to provide such a device which provides a continuousresistance of constant magnitude throughout its range of motion, asdifferentiated from a spring or similar type of resilient member wherethe resistance varies depending on the amount of extension.

Yet another object is to provide a novel exercising device which iscompact in size and light in weight whereby it can be used in almost anytype or size of room in a home, and which can be easily carried whentraveling.

Further objects and advantage of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the presentinvention are shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a novel exercising device constructed inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention, shown incontrolled adjustable position.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 in FIG. 2,ShOWing the device in the freely rotatable position;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 55 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view, partially in cross section, showinga modified exercising device embodying the same inventive concept butlacking the full adjustability of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1through 5;

FIG. 7 is an end view of the modified construction taken on the line 7-7in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 88 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view, partially in cross section,illustrating another modified construction;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line10-10 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a front elevational view, partially in cross section,illustrating yet another modified construction;

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view, partially in cross section,illustrating a very basic or simplified exercising device embodying thet achings of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view, on a reduced scale, showing a device ofthe tpe illustrated in FIG. 9 provided with a length of rope withoperating handles; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view, also on a reduced scale, showing thedevice of FIG. 11 provided with a length of rope which is pulledcontinuously in one dir ction during the operation of the device.

Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference numerals,specifically FIGS. 1 through 5, 16 indicates generally an exercisingdevice constructed in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention, which includes a body member 18 and a sleeve member 20removably and adjustably mounted thereon.

The body member 18 contains an elongated shaft portion 22, preferably ofcylindrical cross section, with an upper hub portion 24 with an outerperipheral surface 25 adjacent the upper end thereof, said hub portionbeing provided with two diametrically opposed, vertically extendingpassageways or slots 26 in the outer peripheral surface which have thebottom or inner ends thereof flared outwardly inv an arc as at 28, for apurpose to appear. A plate-like tongue portion 30 projects upwardlyabove the upper hub portion and contains an aperture 32, the lower partof said aperture coinciding with a groove 34 contained in the upper orend surface of the hub portion and interconnecting the slots 26. Ifdesired, the tongue could be provided with two separate apertures, oneadjacent the upper end thereof and one in registry with the groove 34,but it is preferably from a machining standpoint to employ a Singleelongated aperture.

The lower end of the shaft 22 contains a stud portion 36 of reduceddiameter which provides a shoulder 38 between it and the shaft 22.Slidably and rotatably mounted on the stud portion 36 is a lower hubmember 40 with an outer peripheral surface 42 which also contains twodiametrically opposed passageways or slots 44 in said outer surface, theupper or inner ends of the slots 44 being flared outwardly in an arc asat 46 in a manner similar to the construction of the slots 26. Adisc-like stop member 48 is fastened to the lower end of the studportion 36 by a screw 50, thereby limiting the vertical movement of thelower hub member 40 between an upper position in which it abuts theshoulder 28 and a lower position in which it abuts the stop member 48.

The sleeve member 20 has an inside diameter which is only slightlygreater than the outside diameter of the hub portion 24 and the hubmember 40, and is of a length to extend between the outer ends of thehubs when the lower hub member is in the upper position as shown in FIG.2. The lower of the sleeve member 20 is removably fastened to the lowerhub member 40 as by means of a machine screw 52. Formed in the upper endof the sleeve member 20 are a plurality of circumferentially spaced,circular openings 54 (FIG. 2) which are adapted to receive a detent 56with a rounded outer end surface which is positioned in a socket 58(FIG. 3) contained in a flattened surface 59 of the upper hub portion 24and urged into the sleeve-engaging direction by a coiled spring 60.

It.will, be apparent that when the lower hub member 40 is in the upperor controlled rotation position, the lower hub. member and the sleeve 20can be rotated, notch-bynotch, relative to the shaft 22 and the upperhub portion 24, the detent 56 being cammed into a retracted position asthe sleeve is rotated relative thereto and thence moving out to anopening engaging position when the next opening 54 comes into alignmenttherewith.

On the other hand if one wishes to quickly rotate the sleeve member 20and the lower hub member relative to the upper hub portion (e.g. whereit is desirable to make several complete revolutions hurriedly) thelower hub member 40 can be moved to the lower or free position (FIGS. 4and in which the openings 54 in the upper end of the sleeve member arebelow the detent 56, whereby the latter is in free sliding engagementwith the smooth inner surface of the sleeve member. It will be notedthat by adjusting the length of the sleeve member 20, the free rotationcan be achieved with the lower hub member in either the upper or thelower position. However, the illustrated construction is preferredbecause otherwise the sleeve member would project upwardly adjacent thetongue portion 30 during the free rotation operation.

When the device is to be used as an exerciser, a length of rope 62 couldbe inserted upwardly through one of the slots 44 in the lower hub member40, through one of the slots 26 in the upper hub portion 24, through thegroove 34, and thence downwardly through the other slots 26 and 44. Thesleeve member 20 could then be rotated the desired number of turns, orportions of a turn, with the bottom hub member in either the upper orlower position so as to cause the rope to be wrapped around the shaft 22the desired number of turns as shown in FIG. 2. Obviously, this mannerof inserting the rope into the device would have to be followed if theopenings 26 and 44 were enclosed passageways instead of slots which areopen to the outer surfaces of the hubs. This type of construction wouldfunction satisfactorily but would not have the additional advantagescontained in the preferred construction.

Therefore, it will be understood that in the preferred constructionillustrated, the rope is easily and quickly installed in the device byfirst removing the screw 52, slipping the sleeve member 20 from the bodymember 18, inserting the rope through the aperture 30 and then droppingboth ends of the rope downwardly into the grooves 26 and 44 on theopposite sides of the body member. Thereafter, the sleeve members 20 canbe quickly replaced on the body member and the screw 52 returned to itssecuring position. The sleeve member 20 and the lower hub member 40 canthen be rotated the desired number of turns or portions of a turn, aspreviously described.

When the rope 62 has been properly positioned in the device, theexerciser 16 may be suspended from a support such as a hook or peg, bymeans of the aperture 32, or, a special strap 59 with a metal ring 61 atone end and a doubled-back portion 63 at the other end thereof can beinserted through the aperture 32 in the manner shown in FIG. 1 and thepart of the strap centaining the portion 63 placed between the top orside of a door and the door frame adjacent thereto.

The operator can then grasp one end of the rope 62 projecting from thebottom of the device, and, by pulling on it in a hand-ovenhand fashion,exercise certain muscles of the body. The outer surface of the shaftportion 22 and the inner surfaces of the slots 26 and 44 are preferablypolished to reduce the amount of wear of the rope resulting from theoperation of the device. It will also be noted that the arcuate surfaces28 and 46 at the inner ends of the slots 26 and 44, respectively,conform to the shape of the rope 62 which is twisted around the shaftportion 22 so as not to adversely affect the frictional drag on the ropeor cause an undue amount of wear, as would result if sharp corners "wereused. Stating it differently, it has been found advisable to have smoothcontinuous surfaces devoid of sharp projections for best all aroundoperation of the device. Thus, it will be noted that the device providesa continuous resistance of constant magnitude (per setting) throughoutthe entire range of motion.

If the exercising device is positioned above the users head, the muscleswhich are exercised during a hand-overhand pulling of the rope throughthe device as previously described would be the same as those exercisedby a handover-hand climbing of a fixed rope. On the other hand, if thedevice were on a level with the user as the latter turned away from it,the result would be somewhat similar to that achieved by pulling onsprings or by lifting weights actuated through a pulley arrangement.

After the rope has been pulled through the device in one direction, the:user can grasp the other end of the rope and pull it thorugh in theopposite direction. Another manner of using the device is to pullalternately on first one end of the rope and then on the other endthereof so as to move the rope back and forth through the device.

It will be obvious from the above description that the amount offriction, and therefore the amount of force required to pull the ropethrough the device, can be varied at will by merely rotating the sleevemember 20 and the lower hub member 40 relative to the shaft 22 and theupper hub portion 24. Also, as previously mentioned, this can beachieved either a notch at a time as when the lower hub member 40 is inthe upper position, or by one or more complete turns as when the lowerhub member 40 is in the lower position. Thus, a user may wish to startwith a relatively low frictional resistance and gradually increase theamount of force required to pull the rope through the device, as byrotating the sleeve one notch each day.

It will be readily apparent that this small, quiet, safe, and relativelyinexpensive exercising device can take the place of many larger and morecumbersome devices.

Another embodiment of the present invention, which is shown in FIG. 6,is somewhat more simple than the device described above, and although ithas a certain amount of adjustability, it is not as fully adjustable asthe previously described embodiment. The modified construction includesa shaft 64 which has hub portions 66 and 68 at the opposite endsthereof, the hub portion 66 being preferably provided with two axiallyextending diametrically opposed slots 70, and the hub portion 68 beingpreferably provided with a single axially extending slot 72. It ispreferred that the slot 72 be in axial alignment with one of the slots70 for ease in forming. Here again, the slots could be replaced withenclosed passageways or holes but the slot construction is by far thepreferred one for obvious reasons. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 the innerends of the slots 70 are flared outwardly in an arcuate manner as at 74,and the inner end of the slot 72 is flared outwardly as at 76 in thesame manner.

Fastened to the end face of the hub portion 68 is a plate-like L-shapedflange or tongue 78 which contains a first aperture 80- in axialalignment with the shaft 64, and a second "aperture -82 approximatelymidway between the hub portions 66 and 68. The tongue 78 includes aguide portion 82' which projects inwardly over the outer peripheralsurface of the hub portion 68 for a purpose to appear. The hub portion66 contains a recess '84 in a flattened area which receives aspring-biased detent 86 which is similar in construction to the onepreviously described.

Slidably and removably mounted on the hub portions is a tubular sleevemember 88 which includes a slot 90 at one end thereof and an aperture 92at the other end, preferably in axial alignment with the slot 90. Theslot 92 is of a width to receive the guide portion 82' of the flange,and the length of the sleeve member is such that when it is moved to theright so as to fully engage the guide portion in the slot (FIG. 6), theaperture 92 is in alignment with the detent 86 and the sleeve member ismaintained in position.

To use the device as an exerciser, the detent 86- is depressed againstthe action of the spring, and the sleeve 88 removed from the bodymember. The rope 62 is positioned in the slot 72, wrapped around theshaft 64 the desired number of times, and then positioned in either ofthe slots 70. Thereafter, the sleeve '88 is slipped over the hubportions 66 and 68 with the slot 90 in alignment with the guide portion82', and, when the sleeve is fully on the body member, the detent 86 isengaged in the aperture 92.

If the person desires to use the device in such a manner that the rope62 is pulled through it in one direction, it would be hung from asupport by means of the aperture 80. On the other hand, if the rope isto be pulled back and forth, first with one arm and then with the otherarm, the device would be supported by means of the aperture 82.

When it is desired to change the amount of force required to pull therope through the device, the detent 86 can be depressed and the sleevemember 88 quickly removed from the body member and the rope removed fromthe slot70' and either unwrapped from or wrapped further around theshaft 64. Thereafter, the sleeve member 88 is reinserted on the bodymember as previously described. It will be noted that the twodiametrically opposed slots 70 in the hub portion 66 provide for ahalfturn adjustment, and, if a quarter-turn adjustment were desired, athird slot could be provided between the two diametrically opposed slots70. i

As in the embodiment first described, the arcuate surfaces 74 and 7 6permit the rope '62 to be twisted around the shaft 64 without causingundue wear or additional pressure at the edges of the slot.

A further modified construction, shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, is somewhatsimilar to the construction shown in FIG. 6 in that it includes a shaft94 with said hub portions 96 and 98 at each end thereof, one of whichhas a single slot 100 and the other of which is provided with twodiametrically opposed slots 101. This modification is also provided witha spring-biased detent 102 which is similar in construction to the onepreviously described. However, in the second modification a sleeveportion 104 with a double-flanged portion 106 is formed from sheetmaterial which is wrapped around the hub portions 96 and 98 and the freeends thereof fastened together with rivets 108. An opening 110 is formedin the two face-to-face flange portions and a two-piece annular eyemember 112 swaged together to further fasten together the two-pieceflange portion 106. The sleeve portion 104 is also provided with a smallaperture 114 at the bottom thereof to receive the detent 102 andmaintain the sleeve portion on the body member.

In use, a rope is employed with the second modified construction in thesame manner as previously described with reference to the modificationshown in FIG. 6. Also, it will be readily apparent that the sleeveportion 104 can be easily and quickly removed from the body member bydepressing the detent 102 whereby the position of the rope can bechanged relative to the number of turns on the shaft 94.

A third embodiment, shown in FIG. 11, is very similar to theconstruction shown in FIG. 9 in that a sleeve portion 116 and a flangeportion 118 are formed from sheet material which is wrapped around thehub portion and riveted together at 120. However, in this construction,a separate plate-like supporting bracket 122 is fastened to the flangeportion 118 by the rivets 120, said supporting bracket containing anelongated arcuate slot 124. It will be noted that when the device issupported on a stud or hook which projects through the slot 124, tiltingthe device will cause the stud or hook to slide to either one end or theother of the slot, depending upon which end of the rope is being pulled,so that the rope will extend from the device in substantial axialalignment therewith.

A fourth modification and slightly different embodiment of the sameinvention is shown in FIG. 12. It will be noted that in all of theembodiments previously described, each was provided with a sleeve memberto prevent the rope from escaping from the slot, which has beenmentioned as the preferred construction. In the embodiment shown in FIG.12 a separate sleeve is not necessary and therefore it is a very simpleand economical construction. Thus, it includes a shaft 126 which has twohub portions 128 and 130 formed integral therewith at the ends thereof.The hub portion 128 has a single axially extending passageway 132therethrough, and the hub portion 130 has a similar passageway 134 inalignment with the passageway 132. Here again, the inner ends of thepassageway are preferably flared outwardly in the same manner aspreviously described in order to prevent the rope from binding on thecorners. Diametrically opposite to the aforementioned passageways aretwo tapped recesses 136 and 138 which are also in alignment and whichreceive machine screws 140 and 142, respectively. These screws removablyfasten a wire-like arcuate supporting member 144 to the hub portionsapproximately from the passageways 132 and 134.

To use this modified construction as an exercising device, a rope 146 isinserted through one passageway, wrapped around the shaft the desirednumber of times, and then inserted through the other passageway. Thedevice can then be hung from a support such as a door knob or the like(not shown) by means of the support member 144, and the device used inthe manner previously described. Thus, it will be noted that themodification shown in FIG. 12 has somewhat the same action as themodification shown in FIG. 11 in that the arcuate supporting member 144permits the device to pivot about the supporting stud or door knobdepending upon which end of the rope is being pulled.

Although this embodiment has the disadvantage that it is necessary torethread the rope 146 through the openings each time an adjustment ismade, it is extremely simple in construction and relatively inexpensiveto manufacture, and, for that reason, has certain advantages over theother constructions previously described.

As mentioned hereinabove, a short length of rope can be pulled throughany of these devices first in one direction and then in the other, or, arelatively long length of rope can be pulled continuously in onedirection and then the direction reversed so as to pull the ropecontinuously in the other direction. FIG. 13 shows the device of FIG. 9provided with a relatively short length of rope 148 which hasstirrup-like handles 150 and 152 fastened to the ends thereof, wherebythe rope can be moved back and forth by pulling first on one handle andthen on the other. On the other hand, FIG. 14 shows the device of FIG.11 mounted on a peg 153 and provided with a relatively long length ofrope 154 which has removable gripping members 146 mounted thereon,whereby the rope can be pulled through the device first in one directionand then in the other direction. The gripping members 156 are preferablymade of a soft resilient material such as rubber or one of the syntheticfoams such as polyurethane or styrofoam, and are generally cylindricalin shape with a longitudinal slot for receiving the rope 154. The slotsare preferably larger than the diameter of the rope when the grippingmembers are in the free position so that the user can move his hands,one in front of the other, with the gripping members positioned therein.Obviously, the person using the device could wear leather gloves toprotect his hands instead of using the gripping members 156.

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided a novel exercisingdevice, together with several modifications thereof embodying the sameinventive concept, which fulfills all of the objects and advantagessought therefor. All of the embodiments are simple in construction andrelatively inexpensive to manufacture, and are of light weight and smallsize whereby they can be easily carried from one location to another orstored away in a small space. Furthermore, they are safe and noiselessand are therefore well suited for home use. All of the devices areadjustable so that the user can vary the amount of force required topull a rope through the device, and the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1through permits a fine adjustment to be made easily and quickly bymerely rotating the sleeve member relative to the body member until thedesired change is achieved. However, the amount of resistance at any onesetting is substantially constant so as to require a continuous pull ofconstant magnitude throughout the range of movement. The exercisingdevice described herein is also of universal application in that it canbe employed to exercise the same muscle which would be used in climbinga rope, pulling springs, lifting weights actuated through pulleys, andthe like. It is to be understood that the foregoing description and theaccompanying drawings have been given only by way of illustration andexample and that changes and alterations in the present disclosure whichwill be readily apparent to one skilled in the art are contemplated aswithin the scope of the present invention.

We claim:

1. An exercising device, comprising:

a body member including a shaft with opposed ends and a hub portionadjacent each end thereof;

a passageway through each hub portion positioned radially outwardly ofthe shaft, said passageways being in axial alignment with each other;

a rope-like member extending through the passageways and wrapped aroundthe shaft a selected number of turns;

fastening means at each hub portion positioned diametrically opposite tothe passageway therethrough; and

support means connected to said fastening means for suspending thedevice from a support.

2. An exercising device, comprising:

a body member including a shaft with opposed ends and a hub portionadjacent each end thereof;

a rope-like member;

a slot in each hub portion of a size to slidably receive the rope-likemember, said rope-like member extending through the slots and wrappedaround the shaft a selected number of turns;

a sleeve member removably mounted on the body member so as to at leastpartially cover the slots in both hub portions, said sleeve being formedfrom a sheet of material which is wrapped around said body member withthe ends thereof fastened together to provide a flange portion; and

means fastened to the flange portion for suspending the sleeve from asupport.

3. An exercising device, comprising:

a body member including a shaft with opposed ends and a hub portionadjacent each end thereof;

a rope-like member;

a slot in each hub portion outwardly of the shaft, said slots being of asize to slidably receive the rope-like member, said rope-like memberextending through the slots and wrapped around the shaft a selectednumber of turns;

a sleeve member removably mounted on the body member so as to at leastpartially cover the slots in both hub portions, said sleeve being formedfrom a sheet of material which is wrapped around said body member withthe ends thereof fastened together to provide a flange portion; and

a bracket member with an arcuate slot therein fastened to said flangeportion for suspending the sleeve member from a support.

4. An exercising device, comprising:

a body member including a shaft with opposed ends and a hub portionadjacent each end thereof;

a rope-like member;

a slot in each hub portion outwardly of the shaft, said slots being of asize to slidably receive the rope-like member, said rope-like memberextending through the slots and wrapped around the shaft a selectednumber of turns;

a supporting bracket fastened adjacent the end of one of said hubportions and extending both axially alongside of and transversely ofsaid body member; and

removable means covering at least a portion of each slot to prevent therope from moving outwardly from the slots.

5. An exercising device, comprising:

a body member including a shaft with opposed, ends and a hub portionadjacent each end thereof;

a rope-like member;

a slot in each hub portion outwardly of the shaft, said slots being of asize to slidably receive the rope-like member, said rope-like memberextending through the slots and wrapped around the shaft a selectednumber of turns;

a supporting bracket fastened to the end of one of said hub portions andextending both axially alongside of and transversely of said bodymember; and

a rigid sleeve member removably mounted on the body member so as to atleast partially cover the slots in both hub portions.

6. An exercising device, comprising:

a body member including a shaft with opposed ends and a hub portionadjacent each end thereof;

a rope-like member;

a slot in each hub portion outwardly of the shaft, said slots being of asize to slidably receive the rope-like member, said rope-like memberextending through the slots and wrapped around the shaft a selectednumber of turns;

an L-shaped supporting bracket connected to the end of one of said hubportions and including a portion which extends transversely of the bodymember and a portion which extends substantially parallel to the shaftof the body member;

a first supporting aperture in said transverse portion and a secondsupporting aperture in said parallel portion; and

removable means covering at least a portion of each slot to prevent therope-like member from moving outwardly from the slots.

7. An exercising device, comprising in combination:

a body member including an elongated shaft portion with a smooth outersurface and with a hub portion adjacent each end of the shaft portion,the smooth shaft portion being of a length to receive at least severalturns of rope therearound;

at least one passageway in each hub portion positioned radiallyoutwardly of the shaft and being of a size to slidably receive a lengthof rope passing therethrough;

a length of rope having two free ends extending through a passageway inone hub portion, around said shaft portion in contact with the smoothouter surface thereof, and thence through a passageway in the other hubportion;

handle means adjacent each of the free ends of said length of rope; and

means connected to the body member for suspending the device from asupport.

8. An exercising device, comprising in combination:

a body member including an elongated shaft portion with a smooth outersurface and with a hub portion adjacent each end of the shaft portion,the smooth shaft portion being of a length to receive at least two turnsof rope therearound;

at least one slot in each hub portion of a size to slidably receive alength of rope positioned therein;

a length of rope having two free ends extending through a slot in onehub portion, around said shaft portion in contact with the smooth outersurface thereof, and thence through a slot in the other hub portion;

removable means associated with said slots for preventing the length ofrope from moving transversely therefrom;

means for suspending the device from a support; and

handle means adjacent each of the free ends of the rope.

. An exercising device, comprising in combination:

a body member including an elongated shaft portion with a smooth outersurface and with a hub portion adjacent each end of the shaft portion,the shaft portion being of a length to receive at least two turns ofrope therearound;

at least one generally axially extending slot in each hub portionpositioned radially outwardly of the shaft and being of a size toslidably receive a length of rope positioned therein;

a length of rope having two free ends extending through a slot in onehub portion, around said shaft portion in contact with the smooth outersurface thereof, and thence through a slot in the other hub portion;

removable means associated with said slots for preventing the length ofrope from moving transversely therefrom;

means for suspending the device from a support; and

a handle attached to each free end of the lenght of rope.

10. An exercising device comprising in combination:

a body member including an elongated shaft portion of a length toreceive several turns of rope therearound;

spaced-apart guide means associated with the body member for guiding alength of rope onto and off of said shaft portion;

means connected to the body member for removably attaching it to asupport;

a length of rope for sliding frictional engagement with said shaftportion extending through one of said guide means, at least partiallyaround the shaft portion and thence through the other guide means toprovide two free ends of rope exteriorly of the body member; and

a handle member attached to each of said free ends of rope.

11. An exercising device, comprising in combination:

an elongated tubular housing with opposed ends;

an elongated shaft axially positioned in said housing and being of alength to receive several turns of rope therearound;

at least one passageway adjacent each end of the housing incommunication with the interior thereof adjacent the shaft, saidpassageways being of a size to slidably receive a length of rope;

a length of rope for sliding frictional engagement with the shaftextending through a passageway adjacent one end of the housing, at leastpartially around the shaft, and thence through a passageway adjacent theother end of the housing to provide two free ends of rope exteriorly ofsaid housing; and

a handle member attached to each of said free ends of rope for pullingsaid length of rope back and forth through said housing in slidingfrictional engagement with the shaft.

12. An exercising device as defined in claim 11 which includesattachment means extending therefrom for re- UNITED STATES PATENTS10/1890 Zein et al. 18865.3 8/1898 Lauritsen 242-154 RICHARD C. PINKHAM,Primary Examiner.

W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner.

